Early childhood learning vital to adult success

What started as a misquote (“Child care and preschool are not the same,” Dec. 28) turned into an opportunity for additional advocacy and education. Thank you to the constituents who reached out after that piece and gave me ideas for some spin-off articles. With a 500-word limit, it is hard to address everything you’d like in just one write-up, and having been in the early childhood profession for going on 18 years now, I have a lot to share. Look for more from me in the upcoming months.

Early childhood education (child care, preschool, home visiting, pre-natal to 5 services, parent education programming and more) is vital to the success of the child now and later in life. Investing in early childhood education is making an investment in your community and in your state. Early childhood education offers enriched experiences for children and also offers opportunities for parents/caregivers. This is especially important for children from disadvantaged environments.

The return on investment (ROI) is large when investing in quality early childhood education. There are many benefits, some of which include reduced social costs, lower substance abuse rates, lower crime and incarceration rates. Reductions in smoking and lower risk for heart disease and diabetes. Higher graduation rates are seen, and less remedial education is needed, meaning less costs to schools when that child becomes school age. The earlier we act, the greater the impact.

Nobel laureate economist James Heckman has announced research that shows the ROI on early childhood programs is even higher than previous research shows. It is now at 13% rather than 7-10%. For every $1 invested in quality early childhood education programming, there is a $4-$16 ROI.

Children that have access to quality early childhood education opportunities prior to entering kindergarten enter school ready to thrive. They then later enter the workforce as more employable individuals who are ready to become contributing members of society.

Iowa is among states with the highest rate of available parents in the workforce, which means many of Iowa’s children are under someone else’s care for part of their day. For most this is in a childcare setting which is often the first type of early childhood education program a child will be in before entering school. These programs have such an important job to do in helping ensure the future success of Iowa’s children. We must do all we can to support them as they support our future generations that include our future workforce and leaders.

Early childhood education helps reduce crime, decreases reliance on social services, increases tax revenue, contributes to healthier families and to children becoming productive, successful adults. Investing in early childhood education should be a no brainer to help build stronger, safer communities.

Tracy Ehlert is an early childhood educator, business owner, state representative representing House District 79 in Cedar Rapids.